


Through Tough Times

by PeaceLilies



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Nothing explicit, Trauma, and mentions of sex, mention of children dying, there's a therapist in this
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-01
Updated: 2020-05-01
Packaged: 2021-03-02 00:42:32
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,392
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23946385
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PeaceLilies/pseuds/PeaceLilies
Summary: Keith returns home after a particularly difficult and traumatizing mission and Shiro does his best to help him through it.
Relationships: Keith/Shiro (Voltron)
Comments: 4
Kudos: 52





	Through Tough Times

**Author's Note:**

> Based on an RP that I'm a part of with @lilflowerbot. It's canon divergent. Shiro and Keith are married. There's no season 8.
> 
> Haven't posted anything in a long time, so, getting back into the swing of things 
> 
> There's mention of children dying in this, nothing explicit, but that may be triggering. And it's been only lightly edited, so, apologies for typos...will probably edit accordingly over time.

Shiro stood outside the door of the cruiser, waiting for the doors to open. He felt like he often did before entering a battle, calm and acutely present.

The doors opened and he looked up. Keith stood in the entryway, hands clasped so tight against the frame that the metal was starting to dent. He looked frayed around the edges, violet eyes bloodshot, black and blue smudges under his eyes, face gaunt, uniform and hair in disarray.

"Baby," Shiro said, calm and soft. Keith needed a bulwark and Shiro could do that very well. He opened his arms and Keith practically collapsed into them. His arms wrapped around Shiro tight enough to bruise, his face shoved against his neck, breath hitching as Shiro curled around him protectively.

"I got you," he murmured, nuzzling against Keith's hair. It was evident that he hadn't showered in days, blasting his way across the universe with little to no sleep, to come home as quickly as possible. Shiro wouldn't dream of letting him go. Wolf jumped down from inside the cruiser, whining, wrapping himself around their legs.

He held Keith tight on the platform, letting him cry, just wanting to be that one stable thing in a universe full of instability. He didn’t know how long they stood there together, but Keith eventually pulled away, wiping futilely at wet eyes. Shiro grabbed his bag, put his other arm around him. Wolf shoved his head under Keith’s hand, and with a soft pop, transported them back home.

***

The large apartments within the embassy complex were quiet. Keith wasn’t fully registering anything, feeling exhausted to his core, spent of all physical and emotional energy. It was like he was in a fog. The only thing anchoring him was Shiro. His smell, his warmth...his presence keeping Keith tethered when he felt like he was going to free fall any second.

He swallowed, convulsively, fraught with indecision, uncertainty. He turned his eyes up to Shiro, whose face was soft and full of love and understanding. Keith felt his eyes start to brim with tears. He was sure he’d have cried himself out by now. He was so goddamn tired.

“Let’s get you showered,” Shiro murmured gently, lips brushing Keith’s forehead, “and then you should sleep…”

Keith wasn’t sure when the last time was that he had slept. He didn’t know if he wanted to sleep. But he nodded, because he couldn’t make rational decisions, didn’t want to, and letting Shiro make them for him was a blessing.

Shiro slipped his bag from his shoulder, brushed his hand tenderly over Wolf’s head, and gently led Keith to their bedroom, and the large master bathroom. He got Keith settled on the toilet for a moment and it was a relief to sit, to be still. Shiro disappeared and reappeared with a desk chair and Keith was confused.

Shiro sat, a hairbrush in hand, gently repositioning Keith, so that he could get at his hair. Keith did as directed, closing his eyes, sighing. He didn’t need to think, or do...Shiro would take care of everything, like always, and he could rest. He was so tired, but still sort of buzzing with adrenaline, he couldn’t really be sleepy. He felt Shiro untie his braid, his fingers gently pulling it out of its messy plait. He was close enough that Keith could feel his warmth against his back.

Shiro started gently brushing out his hair, taking his time through knots and tangles, being as gentle as he could, apologizing for a harsh tug or if the brush caught. Keith didn’t really feel it, too numb, but the gesture of being cared for brought silent tears to his eyes. He let them fall.

When Shiro was done, he set down the brush, carefully laid Keith’s hair, slightly curled at the ends, over his shoulder. Keith felt him get up and come around him, knowing he was moving deliberately, so Keith knew where he was, what he was doing. His husband knew him so well.

Keith opened his eyes, looking up at Shiro through a watery film of tears.

“C’mere, baby,” he said softly and Keith looked down at his offered hands, palm up. They were large hands, with long fingers, even the prosthetic, a mechanical, metal twin of Shiro’s left hand. Keith placed his hands in Shiro’s, swallowing. He pulled him to his feet gently, squeezing his hands.

“Let’s get you out of this, okay?” Shiro said.

Shiro knew how to take off Keith’s Blade uniform, and had done so many times over the years. It was sort of comforting, to just stand there, Shiro gently unwrapping him, tugging on the releases, and peeling the suit off. Keith rested a hand on Shiro’s shoulder as he tugged his feet out of the uniform, feeling the strong, sure muscles under his palm. It offered him a small bit of peace. Shiro was as steady and sure as the day was long. The gratitude that reminder elicited in him lit a small flame he had thought had gone out.

The shower was already running and steaming, Keith wasn’t sure when Shiro had done that, but he followed him as he led him to the shower, having him step in, standing under the warm, bordering on hot, spray. Shiro joined him, Keith wasn’t sure how long he stood there or when Shiro had gotten undressed. He tugged Keith into his arms. His skin was warm and soft, and Keith lay his head on Shiro’s shoulder, closing his eyes. He was so, so tired...his soul was tired. He felt like a dried out husk. The chill of space still clung to him...but Shiro’s body heat helped. His smell permeated some of the fog Keith was under and fanned that small flame within.

Shiro washed him. He took his time, being thorough. His touch was tender and gentle...but platonic. He was taking care of Keith, sloughing away the sweat and grime and sadness that stuck to him. He washed his hair, taking his time to work out any tension, and Keith silently cried some more. Shiro rinsed him, conditioned his hair, rinsed again. They held each other again, Shiro pressing tiny kisses against Keith’s forehead and hair. He grabbed towels, drying Keith off, wrapping him up. Keith watched Shiro dry off, not quite seeing, too foggy to do so, and followed his guidance back to their bedroom.

He slid into comfortable, familiar pajamas. They smelt more like Shiro than himself, which was an added comfort. Wolf hadn’t left his side, having made himself at home in the bathroom while he was brushed and undressed and washed, following him to their room, jumping on the bed once Shiro had him tucked in.

Wolf curled around him and Shiro. Keith lay his head against Shiro’s chest, listening to the steady, sure beating of his heart under his ear, closed his eyes. The one constant in his life, the one safe, sure thing that he had. Shiro was the light that was guiding him out of the darkness. He wasn’t out yet...didn’t know when he would be...but knew that it would happen.

He sighed and fell asleep.

***

Shiro stayed with Keith as long as he could, relieved when he fell asleep, and filled with empathic sadness. Shiro had gotten the story in fits and bursts. Keith called him from a Coalition outpost, sobbing to him over the fuzzy video feed. Shiro had never seen him so upset.

While on a standard scouting run, Keith and his crew had come across an emergency beacon from a planet not far from their charted course. The Blades had been in high demand and under a lot of stress and pressure in their humanitarian efforts and they never turned down any sort of emergency beacon or SOS.

What they had come across was an abandoned training facility. Half-Galra children locked in bunkers, left for dead, too many of them for the crew to fit into their small outreach ship. Keith had called in back up from Matt, who was the closest to them, but even then, it would take at least two days before they could arrive.

The crew did what they could, housing as many of the children in the ship as was possible, rationing food and water. Many were sick and while there were some medical supplies, there certainly wasn’t enough for all of them. The following day, they started losing them.

It was like a domino effect. Completely horrifying and unexpected. There was nothing anyone could do. They could try and make everyone as comfortable as possible, take care of who they knew would survive. It was the worst thing Shiro had ever heard and Keith had had to live it.

He was going to come home as fast as he could because he couldn’t be in the field like this. No one could. They were halting their operations for the time being, transferring the rest of the route to Matt’s team, and then temporarily handed over the rest of their scheduled missions to other teams. Keith ordered his crew to take some leave, to take care of themselves...it had been too much for all of them. The surviving children were being brought back to Daibazaal, Krolia and Kolivan having set up emergency resources for something like this. They would be taken care of.

And so Keith had come home. Shiro was reluctant to leave him...but he figured that some food and tea might do him a little good when he woke up. He slid carefully out from under him, making sure he was settled and tucked in. He was out cold, barely stirring. Shiro knew he was tired...knew the kind of tired he was experiencing first hand. Everyone dealt with grief differently, but Shiro understood.

He padded quietly to the kitchen, mind turning over his concern and worry. He wanted to protect Keith, wanted to soothe him, and fix everything...but this wasn’t something he could fix. He could only be there for him, be the constant that he needed in a universe full of turmoil. Focusing on what he could control. Not what he couldn’t. Keith would need him now more than ever. He rolled his wedding band around his finger, as had become his habit when he was thinking or worrying, usually of and about Keith.

Shiro took out some mugs (plain white and black ceramic that said Mr. on both of them, written in fancy script, a gag wedding gift from Lance) and placed a tea bag of decaffeinated green tea into each mug. He put water on to boil, thinking about how much he loved his husband, and how he could help. He’d been practicing cooking...had a standing video call with Hunk every week to try a new recipe and get insider tips and tricks. He was getting better, but he called and ordered some food from the embassy kitchen. He had more important things to focus on.

He was pouring water into the mugs when he heard the gasp and Wolf’s alarmed little bark. The bedroom was on the other side of the living room, not very far, and Shiro jogged his way over, peeking into the room. Keith was sitting up in bed, drenched in sweat, looking a little wild.

“Keith,” he said softly, “baby…”

Keith’s eyes turned to his. His sclera were yellow, canines elongated so that Shiro could see them with Keith’s mouth open as he panted. He didn’t seem to register anything for a moment and then blinked. His eyes were wide, his mouth softening slightly.

“Shiro…” he frowned, blinked, and Shiro saw tears begin to well, “I was dreaming…” Keith pulled his knees to his chest, arms wrapping around them. He put his face into his knees...and started to cry.

Shiro went to him, wrapping him up in his arms, letting Keith curl in against him, hiding. Keith wasn’t a small man, but having him tucked against his chest...it reminded Shiro of when he had been small, reminded him of how fragile everything was, and how he wanted to protect what they had. Make it strong. Unbreakable. In a universe where everything was like the thinnest glass.

Keith cried himself out and Shiro tucked him back into bed. He was warm under the backs of his fingers, maybe running a slight fever. He shivered, and Shiro added an extra blanket. He grabbed their tea, snuggled in next to Keith. He drank the tea, which was a good sign, allowed Shiro to pet his hair, stroke his face, and ended up falling asleep again.

Shiro stayed, only leaving their cocoon of blankets to retrieve the food he’d ordered, bringing everything into their room. He fed Wolf and himself, letting Keith sleep. He looked exhausted, even as he slept, though Shiro was glad to see his brow unfurrowed, mouth lax. He was still warm, cheeks a little red. He would keep an eye on that, make sure it didn’t get worse.

Keith woke up after a few hours, ate some room temperature pasta, and a meatball, while Shiro changed. Shiro had him drink some more water and they cuddled back up together after Shiro had cleaned up. They didn’t talk much, just snuggling up close in the quiet. Keith had tucked himself away in Shiro’s arms, his breath even and fluttering warmly against the skin of Shiro’s shoulder. He’d made sure that Keith was nice and warm, pressing little kisses to his forehead. He wasn’t purring, which he normally did when they were together after months apart, but Shiro could see why he wouldn’t be under these circumstances. He just murmured sweet nothings to Keith until he fell asleep, hoping it helped.

***

Keith woke up most days to the sound of Shiro working. He would set up a little workstation in bed, to be close to Keith, and would stop working when he noticed that Keith was awake.

At first, it was just a comfort...knowing Shiro was close by, and that Keith could cuddle against him, hidden under the blankets, while he worked. As he started to feel more like himself, he would watch Shiro work for a little while, before getting his attention.

He was always so sweet, smiling his soft, disarming smile that was only for Keith, telling him good morning, even if it was the middle of the afternoon. He would kiss him, offering him coffee, food, anything else that he might want.

Keith felt less foggy, less tired, but still sort of numb, uncertain. There were too many things going on in his brain and while Shiro was a tender distraction, Keith knew he wasn’t being as affectionate and open with his husband as he usually was. Shiro seemed to understand, which Keith accepted, too emotionally drained to really have the capacity to worry about the imbalance in their relationship.

But Shiro was his supportive, loving self, and was there when Keith needed. He’d even taken time off of work to stay home and be with Keith. He would bring him breakfast in bed, simple things like scrambled eggs, or parfait with fruit. He was learning to cook, he’d explained. The thought of Shiro learning to cook while Keith was gone...to cook  
Keith...further fanned the little flame in his heart, warming him just that tiny bit more.

As he regained his strength, Keith started taking more time to be alone. He encouraged Shiro to go back to work and would spend his time walking the embassy grounds. He got out into the sun, he went for runs, got back into training simulations. He hadn’t talked to his team. Or his mom. Or Kolivan.

He hadn’t really talked to anyone.

He told himself that he was processing...that he was going through all of his emotions. And that he’d be okay. But he hadn’t really been feeling much of anything since coming back to Earth.

Keith walked around the garden in the back of the building that housed their apartments, Wolf trailing behind him, sniffing parts of the grass as they walked. Shiro often sent pictures to him of the rose bushes in bloom or the crocuses as they poked out of the dirt as the first signs of spring. Shiro loved the garden, Keith had found him in it on several occasions, running his hand along the leaves of different flowers, or smelling them. Keith had finally noticed the new plants Shiro had added in their bedroom, though he kept most of them in his office. It was sweet. Shiro was good at taking care of things...and people.

Keith paused in front of a patch of daffodils. He was home for an indeterminate amount of time. Until his crew had their head on straight. Until they’d mourned. Until they felt like they were ready to get back out there. And a lot of that started with him. He was their commander. If he didn’t have his shit in order, everyone suffered.

Keith wasn’t really a silver lining kind of guy. He considered himself, at best, a realistic, at worst, a pessimist, but if there was one thing about being in love and married to an optimist, it was that there was always something positive to be gained from a terrible experience. Shiro lived it every day and he was the best person Keith knew.

He could use this as a way to better understand himself, to be a better leader...and a better husband. He made his decision, turned on his heel, and headed back toward home.

It took him about an hour, longer than it should have really, but he didn’t want to tell Shiro...not yet. He found the contact information for the therapist he and Shiro had seen back at the Garrison. It had been years ago at this point...Keith wasn’t even sure if she would remember him. But...he had to give it a shot, see if it could help.

He sent her a message, asking if she still practiced, if she would be willing to see him virtually. He felt...better, more productive, after that email.

Small steps, he told himself. Small steps.

***

“Angel.”

Shiro looked up from the peeking into the stove, making sure that the chicken inside was cooking nicely, getting brown on top, just like Hunk had told him. He looked over at Keith, who was standing in the doorway. He was dressed in all-black, down to his socked feet, the only color was the purple ribbon tying his braid, and the silver of his wedding band that he wore on a chain around his neck. Keith looked back at him, hands clasped behind his back, and he rocked back and forth from the heels of his feet to the balls of his feet. Keith didn’t have many tells, but Shiro knew he was nervous.

Keith seemed to be doing better overall. He had more energy, didn’t seem as spacey as when he’d come home, and he’d lost some of the gauntness and exhaustion on his face. He wasn’t quite...himself...still seeming a little standoffish, a bit awkward, like he didn’t feel right in his skin, or in their home. While they tended toward more physical intimacy in bed, they hadn’t gone past little kisses and snuggling. Not that there was anything wrong with that. It was just different. Somewhat challenging. But nothing they couldn’t weather together.

“What’s up, buttercup?” Shiro asked, standing up straight, closing the oven door, smiling warmly at his husband, hoping to relax him, or at least make him feel more at ease. His question earned him a little smile and Shiro chalked that up as a major triumph.

“Can I---talk to you for a minute?” Keith asked, coming further into the kitchen. Shiro nodded, his expression softening.

“Yeah. Of course.”

Keith came over, wrapping his arms around Shiro, hugging him. He returned it, nuzzling his nose against Keith’s forehead. He rested his head on his shoulder, sighing, and gave Shiro a squeeze.

“I...got in touch with Alice…”

For a moment, Shiro wasn’t sure who Keith was referring to. He furrowed his brows...and then pulled back a little to look at Keith.

“The therapist?”

Keith nodded, looking up at Shiro, uncertainty on his face.

“Yeah. I...was walking in the garden and was thinking about how...you always manage to find a positive thing out of something negative and…” he paused, looking away, collecting his thoughts. Shiro waited, patient and understanding.

“I figured that...if what happened brought me home, and I would get all this time with you, which is so rare these days...that I should do something about how I’m feeling about this whole situation, or, not feeling...really...and start working on it so that we can enjoy our time together. I...I want to feel like myself again…”

Shiro’s heart expanded in his chest, feeling too big to contain all the love he felt for the man in his arms and his vulnerability. Shiro was always grateful that Keith trusted him, always treasured and protected that trust, made himself and their home and their relationship a safe space for Keith to express himself. Vulnerability did not come easy to him and every expression of it felt like a gift. He reached up to brush some of Keith’s fringe behind his ear and cupped his cheek in one gentle hand.

“Okay, baby,” he murmured, stroking his thumb against Keith’s cheek, “I’m proud of you…” Keith leaned into Shiro’s hand, closing his eyes, and sighed.

“Yeah…?”

“Yeah. I’m always proud of you.”

Shiro released Keith’s cheek to just hold him in his arms, one hand against the back of his head. Keith rubbed his cheek against his shoulder and squeezed Shiro again. They stayed like that for a few moments, before Shiro pulled back a little, giving Keith a forehead kiss.

“Anything I can do to help?” he asked, leaning away so they could look at each other.

Keith shook his head. “No. Just keep doing what you’re doing.” He gave Shiro another small smile, though it reached his eyes, and the tension that Shiro had been holding since getting Keith’s call, dissipated a little.

“You got it.”

They hadn’t really talked much about anything. Which was okay. Shiro would follow Keith’s lead on this and was here to support him in whatever way he needed.

“What’re you making…?” Keith asked after a few more moments of them holding each other.

“Mm, roasted chicken...and fingerling potatoes. With a side salad. I even made the dressing myself,” Shiro replied, rather proud. Keith looked at him, smiling again, a little twinkle in his eye.

“Really?” he asked, almost innocently, and Shiro nodded.

“Yeah, Hunk’s been teaching me.”

Keith laughed. It was soft and short, but it made Shiro relax further, glad to see Keith laughing and smiling again. He wasn’t one hundred percent yet, that would take time, but progress was happening. Shiro was glad for that, for Keith’s sake. They’d had to manage enough trauma and sadness for multiple lifetimes.

In the moment that Keith turned away to inspect the fridge, seeking out the homemade dressing...was the first time Shiro actually thought about retirement.

***

Over the next few weeks, Keith managed to set up and start therapy.

Alice did remember him and his history, as well as his relationship with Shiro. She was still at the Garrison, too.

It felt better being able to talk to a neutral party about what had happened. He talked about his own emotions and experiences with losing the kids, how angry and sad it made him. How devastating it was. He talked to her about his concern over his relationship and how he felt that this entire thing could be actually really great...if he didn’t fuck it up.

They worked on his acceptance around the losses, that it was okay for him to recognize the injustice of it, to be angry about it happening, but that holding on to the anger wouldn’t help. He could focus on change, on progress, on making lives better for people in similar circumstances.

They talk about what he could do about his marriage.

“It’s...good,” he said, fiddling with his ring as it hung on it’s chain around his neck. He couldn't quite meet Alice’s eyes.

“Shiro is...perfect. He’s sweet and understanding and caring. He’s always been…” Keith could feel the tears welling up, surprised at the sudden emotion coming up in him.

“He’s so steady and sure. A-always there for me when I need him. E-even when he’s tired or had a shit day. He makes sure we keep a steady schedule of video calls when I’m within range, he sends me h-his calendar that has a countdown of when I’m going to be home next. He’s not once, n-not once, ever, asked me to stay home. A-and I know it’s because he loves me and wants me to do t-this because he understands me like no one else understands me.”

He covered his face, trying to breathe through his tears. Alice is empathetically quiet on the other end. Waiting for Keith to catch his breath.

“I love him so much. Everything about being with him makes me feel w-whole, makes me f-feel complete.”

He wiped his eyes, sighing, reaching for a box of tissues he had close by, taking a few from the box, blowing his nose. He sighed again.

“I know that I don’t need him to be a complete person. I just...he’s my dream come true in every way. He does so much to make our marriage work. And...I want him to know that I feel the same. That I want to put in the work. To show him how grateful I am, how important he is to me. How important our relationship is.”

They talked about what Keith could do, how he wanted to spend the rest of his time planetside before going back to work, and some more about how important Shiro is to him...because he can never say it enough.

“Don’t say it to me!” Alice teased at the end of their session. “He’s the one that needs to hear it. Go tell him everything you just told me.”

***

Keith woke up to Shiro’s alarm, blinking his eyes open, and watched as his husband rolled over, turning the alarm off. He rolled back, a little look of surprise on his face, at finding Keith awake.

“Good morning,” Keith murmured, scooting closer to wrap an arm around Shiro, and cuddle up to him. Before this, Shiro had been letting him sleep in. It had been needed, but he was feeling much more himself now.

Shiro hummed happily, tossing an arm and a leg over Keith, pulling him close, nuzzling their faces.

“Good morning, baby.”

Keith couldn’t help but smile, nudging gently at Shiro’s face, kissing his forehead, down his nose, over his cheeks. Shiro giggled softly and it went straight to Keith’s heart.

In Keith’s opinion, if anyone ever asked, Shiro’s maximum cuteness was in the mornings. He was sleepy, a little dopey, nice and warm from being snuggled under the blankets, hair all cutely mussed up from sleep, and cuddly. So cuddly! Keith loved Shiro at any time of day, in any kind of mood. But his secret favorite would always be Shiro in the morning.

They woke up together, Shiro getting up to shower and get ready for work. Keith stole the matching shirt to his pajama pants and went to make coffee and breakfast. They ate, chatted a little about each other’s day, and parted at the door with a kiss, and ‘have a good day’s. They hadn’t done that since the last time Keith had been home and it was high time they’d picked that back up.

After showering himself, Keith changed, and took Wolf out to walk the grounds, getting some exercise. They headed to the gardens, because Keith had a plan. He was going to treat Shiro, spoil him tonight because he deserved it. Keith wanted to show him his appreciation. He’d snagged Shiro’s gardening shears and went to the rose bushes. They were in bloom, quite beautifully, too. There were pink, red, and yellow roses. As well as what looked like a cross of the red and yellow roses, the flowers were mostly yellow, tipped with red.

Keith was not Shiro and did not have a head for plants. He knew roses had thorns and had not brought gloves. This proved to be a terrible move, as he was continuously poked and scraped as he delicately cut the roses from the bush, cursing in frustration. He picked six roses total, his hands a bleeding mess, and to top it all off, the head gardener had caught him, trying to chase him down for having cut the roses without written permission.

One of the many perks of being pals with an intergalactic space wolf was being able to teleport out of tricky situations. So they had. He hoped he hadn’t been recognized as Ambassador Shirogane’s husband, thus ruining Shiro’s garden privileges. If he had...he was going to have to figure out a way to fix that before Shiro found out.

But first things first. Bleeding all over part of your husband’s appreciation gift was not great.

Keith set the roses on the counter in the kitchen, washing and disinfecting his hands. He bandaged the worst of the cuts, and, wearing gloves this time, dethorned the roses. He found one of Shiro’s, surprisingly many, vases and put the roses in with some water and flower food.

Satisfied, he went back out with Wolf to do some grocery shopping.

***

Shiro had been back to work for a little while now. While he normally took some time off of work to be home with Keith or when he went to visit him on base, these circumstances were somewhat unprecedented. It was nice knowing that his husband would be home when he walked through the door, but he worried about leaving Keith alone, too.

They’d messaged each other sporadically throughout the day and the last time Shiro had heard from Keith was about an hour after his lunch break. He didn’t mingle like he normally did with some of the other diplomats, dipping out as gracefully as he could, to get back home. He wanted to be with Keith, though he was still a little worried about him, too. These were uncertain times for the Blades and he just wanted him to feel as secure as possible.

One of the perks about being an admiral and the first ambassador to alien planets, was that you got a cool car. While Shiro would have preferred to have gotten a bike, he figured it wouldn’t be as nice riding around in his uniform or an expensive suit, as it was to drive a sexy black number that could go 0 to 60 in 1.5 seconds. He was just glad it went fast. He texted Keith that he was on his way, and drove home, mindful of the speed limit.

By the time Shiro reached the door, he was hungry, and in the mood for a hug...just because. He keyed into the apartment, greeted by Wolf. Shiro laughed, unused to such an enthusiastic welcome, ruffling his hands into Wolf’s fur. He heard Keith laugh and he looked up.

Keith stood just outside the entryway, in a red shirt and (surprisingly tight) distressed black jeans, with a smile on his face, arms folded as he leaned against the wall in bare feet, the light overhead glinted a little off of his ring, now on his finger. His hair was in a neat, fishtail plait, tied neatly with a hair tie, resting over one shoulder.

“Welcome home,” he said, coming over as Shiro toed off his shoes, gently nudging Wolf out of the way.

“Hi,” Shiro replied and laughed in surprise as he was pulled in for a kiss by his lapels. He closed his eyes, a little swept up in the feel of Keith’s lips against his, his tongue in his mouth. It was a nice kiss, expertly executed, and then Keith pulled away, a small smirk on his face, Shiro felt like he was drunk.

“Hi,” Keith giggled, patting his chest, “how was work?”

It took Shiro a few seconds to get his bearings and Keith laughed, fingers curled against his mouth.

“What did you do to your hands?” Shiro asked, concerned, at the bandages around Keith’s fingers. He gently took one hand, frowning a little.

“It’s fine, starlight. I had a bad run in with some roses,” Keith replied, chuckling. He came in closer, leaning up to press a sweet peck to Shiro’s lips. “No pouting. I’m fine. Are you hungry? I made dinner.”

Shiro furrowed his brows, smiling small. “Alright. If you say so...and I am hungry...”

Keith took his hand, leading out to the balcony, just off of the living room. There was a small table and chairs out there that overlooked the garden, where they’d have coffee and chat, or Shiro would sit out there and read when Keith was working. Currently, there were fairy lights strung all around. The table was made up for two, a single, large candle burning in the middle, with a vase full of roses. The place settings were simple and the spare folding table they had was decked out with dinner, buffet style.

“Oh, sweetheart...this is really nice,” Shiro said, pleasantly surprised and touched, “you didn’t have to…”

Keith chuckled, his arms wrapping around one of Shiro’s. He leaned his head on his shoulder, squeezing him.

“I wanted to. I love you so much...and I wanted to show you that and how much I appreciate everything you have done and continue to do for me.” He let go of Shiro’s arm, taking his hand, and standing in front of him.

“This has been a really stressful few weeks and I know that our relationship has had its challenges because we’re apart so often. You’re the glue that’s been holding everything together, holding _me_  
together, and I really just wanted to express how grateful I am for that. For you. For this marriage.”

Keith paused, kissing Shiro’s knuckles.

“You’re the most important person to me. I love you. Thank you for loving me and taking care of me and my heart so well. I promise that I’ll tell you that more often.” He looked up, smiling, eyes a little glassy. “You’re the most perfect husband, Shiro. Let me spoil you a little.” He said it like a question.

Shiro didn’t really have any words, wanting to say too much. But...in the end...he knew that Keith knew his heart, just like Shiro knew his. This was what a marriage was. It wouldn’t be perfect...but there was love. A lot of it. And that was what mattered.

“Okay,” he replied, pulling Keith in for a tight hug, “I love and appreciate you, too.”

Keith chuckled, tucking himself against Shiro, his forehead resting against his temple. He rubbed his back gently, humming, and pulled away a little. They smiled at each other and Keith stroked his fingers down Shiro’s face, from his temple to his cheek, cupping his face in his hand. He leaned in and kissed him, full of all the love he had in his heart.

Dinner was delicious. They ate and talked under the full summer moon, enjoying each other's company. They laughed, which brought a singular joy to Shiro's heart. He loved hearing Keith laugh, seeing him smile...he had missed that over the past few weeks.

Shiro helped clean up. Packing away leftovers for lunches during the workweek or dinner again tomorrow night. They washed and dried the dishes together, playfully bumping hips and elbows, exchanging little kisses.

Everything was cleaned and stowed away. Shiro swept Keith up into a little dance from the kitchen into their living room. It reminded him of when they'd first started living together...when they'd dance around the kitchen.

"You dance when you're happy," Keith said, his hand resting warmly against the back of Shiro's neck, his other grasped gently in Shiro's.

"I am happy," he replied, kissing Keith's nose gently.

Keith giggled, Shiro's heart swelled at the sound, and he smiled his bright, beautiful smile up at Shiro.

"I love you, starlight…"

Shiro smiled back, leaning in to kiss Keith deeply.

"I love you, baby…"

Keith watched Shiro with soft eyes, pulling away a little.

"C'mere, angel," he said, wrapping his arms around Shiro's waist, lifting him up.

Keith was incredibly strong. After his second puberty, he'd gained several inches, a ton of muscle, and had come into his full Galra strength. It never ceased to amaze Shiro.

He wrapped his arms and legs around Keith, laughing as Keith adjusted him to carry him, one handed, on his hip.

"I'm taking you to bed," he said and it was Shiro's turn to giggle.

***

Keith woke up the next morning to the wonderful realization that he was sore and that his husband was still sleeping.

Shiro was on his side, facing Keith, mouth parted, snoring quietly. He was adorable when he slept.

He just watched him, not wanting to disturb him yet, and took stock. It had been a nice night. A lovely dinner, dancing, making love. He sighed softly, wistfully.

Keith had missed having sex with Shiro. Actual, real, messy sex as opposed to the virtual sex they'd have over video. It was not the same. He felt like they'd both needed it. That intimacy and reaffirmation that everything was okay.

His sweet angel...always so gentle and tender and sweet. It was what Keith had needed. Just Shiro, showing up for him like he always had...like he always would.

He smiled, leaning in to kiss between his brows gently, unable to help it. Shiro stirred, brows furrowing a bit at the disruption. He opened his eyes, soft and gray and sleepy.

"Good morning, sweetheart," Keith murmured, smiling soft.

Shiro slow blinked, a dopey smile on his face.

"Good morning, love of my life."


End file.
